1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns an automatic interconnection assembly designed to provide for electrical connection to a pack by the plugging in of a connector.
It can be applied very particularly to the connection, from a weapon carriage and by means of a single common connector, of a firing control system to a plurality of missile-launcher tubes combined in one and the same modular block, known in the field as a "pack".
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 gives a schematic view of this configuration. In this figure, the reference 1 generally designates a missile-launcher battery mounted, for example, on an armored vehicle 2, on a ship's superstructure, etc.
This missile-launcher battery 1 includes, in addition to the firing control system with its different detection and tracking instruments, an azimuthally mobile barrel 3, on which there are mounted one or more packs 4 capable of being oriented in relative bearing.
Each of the packs 4 constitutes a pack formed by a plurality of missile-launcher tubes 5 assembled and fixedly joined mechanically, for example by means of a frame 6 and a supporting part 7.
The pack can be easily installed and removed for replacement after the missiles have been fired.
Apart from the mounting and mechanical locking of the pack on to the carriage, provision should be made for an electrical connection to each of the missiles, notably for the resetting of the firing and initiation parameters.
Up till now, this electrical connection was made by hand, and individually, by an operator who connected a connector plug-in element, mounted at the end of a cable, on the homologous connector of the corresponding missile-launcher tube, in doing so for each of the tubes of the pack.
From the electrical viewpoint alone, such a procedure provides for an interconnection that is quite satisfactory.
However, it implies that an operator has to come out of the armored vehicle to perform the electrical connection operation, while the mechanical mounting of the pack on the carriage can be entirely remote-controlled, the locking of the pack being done automatically as soon as it is installed and positioned accurately on the carriage.
In certain circumstances, this kind of action may be difficult or dangerous.
This is so notably in an environment of nuclear, bacteriological or chemical warfare, or under very low temperatures (the operator being equipped with very thick gloves) or when the firing station is not stable (this is typical in a ship) etc.
Moreover, in the event of misfiring, the operator must disconnect the supply corresponding to the faulty missile before any other operation. Action therefore has to be taken in the vicinity of the faulty missile with an additional risk of error arising out of the fact that the operator, in mistaking the different electrical supplies, may very well disconnect a missile other than the faulty one.